Cholera outbreak confirmed in Harare suburb

Authorities in Zimbabwe on Monday confirmed an outbreak of cholera in Mbare, one of Harare's oldest suburbs, with at least 20 households having reportedly been affected, dpa reported.

The report comes amid fears that the disease may be spreading again across the poverty-stricken country.

Portia Munangazira, a doctor and director in Zimbabwe's Ministry of Health, told the German Press Agency dpa Monday that Harare was still struggling to eradicate the pandemic, which claimed over 4,000 lives and affected thousands more nationwide in 2008.

"We leant a lot from the experience of 2008/2009, but we can't stop it (cholera). We still have determinants of cholera," she said.

She noted ongoing problems with water quality and lack of proper waste disposal. A particular problem is sewage flowing into wells for drinking water. Munangazira said it is certain that the sewage is carrying cholera.

"We are worried that there is an outbreak both in urban and rural areas," she said.

Residents in Mbare have told dpa that problems with the sewer system have resulted in raw sewage contaminating drinking water.